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| Thankful for Growth! |
Scripture: Luke 3:18-21 NRSV
18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Observation: What does this say about the Kingdom of God? The similarity between the two is that they both start small but in the end have a powerful positive effect on their surroundings. The mustard seed starts off really small, yet it grows into a tree that the birds of the air can perch on. The yeast is taken from a small pinch of dough and mixed with a huge batch of flour, yet over time it infects the entire flour and produces dough that can be baked into bread. Both these things multiply or grow into much more than their initial size or influence. The significance in Jesus using these two items is that they are initially small and insignificant, yet they have a large effect beyond what one would have imagined or expected. Yet this is how the Kingdom of God often works. It works through the humble, it works through small but sacrificial acts, it works through people who chose to surrender their lives to God’s work, and it works through events that seemed insignificance until you saw it through the clarity of hindsight. The powerful message of this passage is that we can never know the full effect of our actions when we decide to obey God with our lives.
Application: Personally I think this applies to me in two ways. First, I often fall into the habit of evaluating my effort or actions from a perspective of immediate effectiveness or productivity. I want to know right away if what I do will be received, if it will be helpful to others, and if it will produce the intended effect. I want to do things that will produce something right away. In the area of ministry, I want to see people responding, coming out to serve, listening to the gospel with excitement and coming into a personal relationship with God. With a certain task or project, I want to know that my effort is helping others succeed, that I’m making things more efficient, etc. Second, I often want to do great big things for God because I think that is what God wants or that is what will be the most effective. Yet, again and again, I have experienced God working through the small things, he works through the one-on-one conversations after a sermon or God works in people’s lives through some small statement they heard in small group or through an observation they made on a mission trip. I’m reminded that I’m called to be faithful to the little things. That God works through small things and it is up to him to multiply our efforts. We water and he makes it grow - 1 Corinthians 3:6. I serve a God that can take the mustard seed and cause it to grow, he is a God that receives glory when something that doesn’t seem like much is so multiplied through his power and results in the expansion of His Kingdom.
Kneel: Loving Creator and Sustainer of All Things - Thank you for multiplying my meager steps of faith. Amen!
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